NTSB Factual Report

On October 12, 1997, at 1640 hours Pacific daylight time, a Bellanca 7ECA, N11860, collided with telephone wires about 4.2 nautical miles west of the Tracy Municipal Airport, Tracy, California. The airplane was destroyed by impact and postimpact fire. The certificated private pilot received fatal injuries and his passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was rented by the pilot from the Tracy Flight Center, a fixed-base operator located at the airport. The local flight originated from the Tracy Municipal Airport about 1600. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.

The aircraft was observed by other family members to be flying low around a cultivated lima bean field. The family members told the San Joaquin Sheriff's office that they were working in the dry bean field and they noticed the airplane flying in the area where they were working. The first eyewitness stated he saw the plane flying from west to east, and it appeared to be trying to fly underneath the power lines, which paralleled Hanson Road. The witnesses indicated the airplane attempted to go under the power lines, the right wing clipped the power lines and then began a backward somersault until it struck the dirt field with it's right wing tip and then began to cartwheel.

The Safety Board examined the accident site and wreckage. The aircraft was found nearly consumed by fire at a point measured to be 236 feet east of the telephone wires. Examination of the power lines disclosed evidence of the airplane striking the higher power transmission wires. Striations matching the dimensional pattern of the wires were noted on the propeller blades, and, a short section of wire was found wrapped around behind the spinner.

The airplane had to climb to clear wires, which bounded the west side of the field during previous low passes. The wires paralleled a two lane north-south road on both the east and west side. The wires on the west were telephone wires suspended about 24 feet above the ground from 30-foot-tall poles. The wires on the east side were power transmission wires suspended about 30 feet above the ground.

The witness said he saw the passenger get out of the airplane unaided and attempt to rescue the pilot, but was driven away by flames from the postimpact fire.

The pilot had obtained his private pilot certificate on March 5, 1997, and at the time of the examination had stated he had 62 hours of flight time, all of which had been obtained in a Cessna 150.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Civil Aeromedical Institute in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma performed toxicological examinations on the pilot samples that they received. According to their report, the toxicology report was positive for Brompheniramine, Pseudoephedrine, and Phenylpropanolamine, which were detected in blood and urine. Ephedrine was detected only in the urine sample.

According to the Safety Board's staff medical officer, Brompheniramine is a sedating antihistamine, available over-the-counter, and an ingredient of the product Dimetapp. The levels found in the toxicological sample were approximately 10 micrograms per milliliter. This level, according to the medical officer is consistent with a recent ingestion of a single dose of the medication. Brompheniramine commonly results in drowsiness, and has measurable effects on performance of complex cognitive and motor tasks.

Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant, commonly known by the trade name Sudafed, found in many over-the-counter cold remedies. Ephedrine is typically used to treat chest congestion, and is available in the over-the-counter asthma medication Primatene. Phenylpropanolamine is an over-the-counter decongestant that is also a metabolite of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. According to the medical officer, none of the three substances typically impairs performance, and all three usually result in increased levels of alertness.

The airplane wreckage was released to the president of the Tracy Flight Center at the conclusion of the on-site examination on October 13, 1997.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's low operating altitude and his failure to maintain appropriate clearance during low level maneuvering flight. Contributing factors were transmission wires and the physical impairment that resulted from the effects of the over-the-counter medications found during toxicological evaluation.